Door opener and holder



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1'.

J. H. CLAY.

7 DOOR OPENER AND HOLDER. I No. 562,377. =Patented Jun 23, 1896.

AN URN BSRANAM. PNOTO'LITNQWASHINGTUM D C.

(No Model.) 2 Sheet-Shet 2.

J. H. OLAIY.

1100B OPENER AND HOLDER.- No. 562,377. v PatentedJilne 23, 1896.

UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. CLAY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

DOOR OPENER AND HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 562,377, dated June 23, 1896.

Application filed December 6, 1895. $eria1No. 571,280. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H-0LAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door Openers and Holders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for operating large doors of fire-engine houses, gates, and the like, opening the same, and holding them in an open position; and the objects of my improvements are, first, to provide means for swinging doors and gates, &c., open, and, secondly, to construct devices to catch and hold the doors and gates, &c., firmly and rigidly, when set and regulated, at their open limit, and thereby prevent them from swinging and oscillating inward from the desired point or open limit. These objects I accomplish by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- I Figure 1 is a view showing an elevation of my improved spring applied to a door and its frame, the door being closed. Fig. 2 is a view illustrating a portion of the door and ratchet-plate, in section, and carriage for the spring-pawl, attached to the horizontal rod, shown in elevation. Fig. 3 shows views of the brackets A A; Fig. 4, views of the base and cap-pieces E E; Fig. 5, views illustrating the double bracket B, and Fig. 6 views showing the slotted bearing-plate.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Xrepresents the door-frame, and Y the door hinged thereto; A, the upper bracket, and a the horizontal or shelf part thereof, in which ismade the rectangular-shaped mortise or recess 0.. Into said recess the upper end of the vertical rod B is tenoned to fit. A is the lower bracket; Cb, the horizontal or shelf part thereof, in which is formed the rectangularshaped mortise or recess 0 wherein the lower end of the vertical rod 13 is tenoned to fit.

B is the vertical rod, having perforations s 8 near its ends, into which the hand-spikes F F are adapted to enter. Around its lower portion the spring D is coiled, and around its upper part the spring D is wound.

E is a base-piece, circular in form, and provided with a central hole E through which the lower end of rod 13 is inserted. Its lower face rests upon the'upper surface of the shelf part ct of the bracket A, and upon its upper face the lowermost coil of the spring D bears. Upon said upper face of the basepiece E, near the outer edge thereof, is an upward-projecting double-headed stud 6,

around which, and under the head thereof, the lower hook-shaped end of the spring D is caught and securely held.

On the periphery of the said base-piece E, extendingradially from its circumference to the central hole E therein and at right angles thereto, are six or more holes, into any of which a handspike may beinserted, in order to turn the said base-piece, to increase or decrease the torsional tension of the spring D.

The cap-piece E is identical in construction with the base-piece E, above described, and a detailed description of the said piece E is deemed unnecessary, inasmuch as the said cap-piece occupies the same relative position to the under surface of the shelf portion a of the bracket A as the base-piece E does to the upper surface of the shelfc of bracket A.

The said cap-piece E sustains the same relative position to the upper end of the spring D that the base-piece E does to the lower end of the spring D, and the handspike F is employed to increase or decrease the torsional strain upon the spring D in the same manner as the handspike F is used to act upon the spring D.

O 0 represent a horizontal bar, made in two pieces, the longer and outer piece 0 of which telescopes within the shorter and inner piece 0, and is held therein by the thumb-screw 0 whereby the device may be appliedto doors of dilferent widths. The said piece G has two projections W W", to which the inner ends of the springs D D are secured, and it is swiveled upon the vertical bar B, between the ends of the two springs D D, about the middle of said vertical bar, and is prevented from sliding downward upon the same by means of the doubled bracket-plate 13, secured to the door-frame, about midwaybetween the points of attachment thereon of the brackets A A.

The outer end of the portion 0 of the hori zontal bar has a screw-thread, on which the hand-nut I revolves in order to increase and decrease the tension of the coil-spring H, coiled around the inner end of the outer and longer portion 0 of the horizontal bar.

Upon the outer end of the bar 0 is adjustably secured, by means of the thumb-screw M, the spring-pawl carriage J, the springpawl K whereof is adapted to engage with the ratchet-teeth of the plate N, permanently fastened to the door Y, in the line of travel of the bar 0.

G is a slotted bearing plate or keeper, screwed to the door Y, and g is a roller journaled in the slot g, near the outer end of said bearing-plate. Over said roller and through said slot the portion of rod 0 between the outer end of spring H and the inner end of the spring-pawl K travels in the operation of opening and closing the door Y.

The collar 00 is loose and slides upon the rod 0, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and the said collar rests against the outer end of the expanded spring H, the door or gate being closed; but when the said door or gate is opened, and the rod 0 slides through the keeper G, the said loose sliding collar m is forced, by contact therewith, to move back upon the rod 0, and the spring is thereby compressed,increasing the tension of the same and acting as a buffer for the door or gate.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- Y 1. In a door opener and holder, the two vertical springs, the horizontal spring and the plate G, cooperating therewith, constructed andarranged substantially as herein shown and described, in combination with the ratohet-plate, and pawl secured to the door, as herein set forth.

2. In a door opener and holder, the two vertical springs, the vertical rod, B, the horizontal spring, and the plate G, constructed and arranged substantially as shown and described, in combination with the ratchet-plate secured to the door and the spring-pawl as herein set forth.

3. In a door or gate opener, and holder, the vertical rod B, the two springs carried thereby, the horizontal spring the rods 0 O, and the plate G, arranged and constructed substantially as herein shown and described, the spring-pawl, attached to rod 0 in combination with the ratchet-plate secured to the door, or gate, as herein set forth.

4:. In a door or gate opener the combination of the vertical rod 13, the two springs D, D, the horizontal rods 0 O, the spring H, and the bearing-plate G, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a door or gate opener,the combination of the vertical rod B, the springs D, D, the horizontal rods, 0, O, the spring H, and the slotted bearing-plate, G, having an antifriction-roller journaled therein substantially as herein shown and described.

6. In a door or gate opener, the combination of the vertical rod, 13, the two springs, D, D, the horizontal rods 0, O, the spring H, and the slotted bearing-plate G having the antifriction-roller' journaled in the outer end thereof, the ratchet-plate, N, and spring-pawl K, substantially as herein shown and described.

7. In a door or gate opener, the combination of the vertical rod, B, the springs, D, D, the swiveled arm or rod 0, the hand-nut, I, on the end thereof, the rod, 0, telescoped within rod, 0, the spring, H, the bearing-plate G, secured to the door or gate, the ratchet-plate, attached to the door, and spring-pawl carriage adjustably attached to said rod, 0, substantially as herein shown and described.

8. In a door or gate opener, the slotted or mortised brackets A A, the vertical rod, 13, having two coiled springs thereon, and tenoned at each end, and having a perforation near each end thereof, in combination with, the perforated cap and base pieces, E, E, handspikes F, F, horizontal arms or rods C, 0, spring H, and bearing-plate G, substantially as herein shown and described.

9. In a door or gate opener, the slotted, brackets A, A, the tenoned vertical rod, B, perforated at each end thereof, the vertically and radially perforated cap and base pieces E E, upon the lower and upper faces of the brackets A, A, respectively, the springs D, D, and the swiveled, horizontally, telescoping rods 0, O, the said rod 0, screw-threaded on its outer end and having hand-nut thereon, substantially as herein shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN II. CLAY.

Witnesses:

JOHN RODGERS, ALBERT G. ALEXANDER. 

